They are all characters I control.

I never expected Captain Karl to be so popular; he showed none of the cold-blooded decisiveness he displayed when facing Prince Alvin and Elena.

[Lia: Guiding God, Captain Karl is a good person, right?]

Lia didn't ask Count Orlando this question, after all, the relationship between Count Orlando and Captain Karl was obviously bad.

At this point, she chose to ask Claire.

Claire naturally saw this as well, but wasn't surprised at all.

Claire: Guess why Karl was the first knight to arrive when you were attacked?

[Lia: Uh, so why? Is it because Captain Karl comes here quite often?]

Claire: What else could it be?

[Lia: Is Karl a good person? Captain Karl seems very friendly to civilians.]

[Claire: Whether Carl is a good person or not is irrelevant. What matters is that he obeyed Bishop Simon's orders. You should ask whether Bishop Simon is a good person or not.]

[Liya:...]

"Heh, Lia, don't be fooled by Karl's popularity among the common people. As a church knight, he will kill anyone without hesitation if he receives an order."

Earl Orlando then offered a clearer and more direct explanation than Claire had.

“That Bishop Simon, he’s obsessed with climbing to the position of archbishop and desperately trying to squeeze more money out of the empire to boost his own record.”

“That kind of guy is not trustworthy at all, and the knights under the bishop are just tools. Their food and drink are provided by the bishop, and they would never go against the bishop’s wishes.”

"Moreover, bishops and archbishops are best at using high-sounding reasons to cause trouble for others. Church knights are no different from brainless puppets. They can turn on you without mercy as soon as that Bishop Simon gives the order."

In short, the knights of the Goddess's Church are dangerous, that's for sure.

"My lord, what should I do if Captain Karl asks me about the details of the attack?" Leah asked nervously as she prepared to proceed with Captain Karl's investigation.

Earl Orlando gave Leah a strange look and asked, "Didn't that 'Leah' tell you what to do?"

"The guiding god said to just answer truthfully..."

Looking at Lia, who was worried about him, Count Orlando chuckled and pinched his niece's cheek: "The guiding god is right, you should have answered truthfully."

My niece is too naive, just like her mother.

Fortunately, Earl Orlando doesn't need to worry about educating Leah.

Anyway, besides her, there is another 'Guiding God' teaching her, although that 'Guiding God' probably has the same idea, right?

"But……"

Before Lia could finish speaking, the maid Anna tugged at her arm.

Then the carriage door opened.

Captain Karl stood beside the carriage, looking at Leah, and gestured to her: "Alright, you can get off now. Everyone, disperse; you won't disturb our investigation."

Upon hearing this, Liya looked out the car window.

As expected, the civilians dispersed, though they occasionally cast glances at Captain Karl to say hello.

"Okay, okay." Lia nodded.

Although she still had some doubts, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and get off the bus.

The maid Anna followed Lia off the carriage. As one of the victims of the attack, Anna also went with Lia.

But when Earl Orlando stepped off the carriage, Captain Carl stopped her.

“Count, you will interfere with our investigation. You can just wait here.”

This isn't so much Captain Karl causing trouble for Earl Orlando; Earl Orlando really does try to disrupt and interfere with Captain Karl.

Count Orlando, who had been stopped, shrugged and did not insist further: "Then I'll wait for you here. Miss Leah, please come back soon, and we'll have dinner together."

"Okay, okay." Lia nodded.

Captain Karl glanced at Earl Orlando, who had a frivolous smile on his face, and then led Leah and the maid Anna toward the place where the two had first encountered the attackers.

Returning to the same place, Lia couldn't help but recall the panic she felt back then as she looked at the familiar streets and alleys.

Now that she knows the attacker is Earl Orlando, she isn't too scared. But what makes Leah's nerves tighten instantly is Captain Karl's next sentence.

"Miss Lia, is this the place where you were attacked? Did you smell anything unusual about the attacker? Or did you recognize their body type?"

After saying that, Captain Karl's gaze swept over Earl Orlando, who was leaning against the carriage not far away.

Lia immediately bristled like a mouse that had run into a cat.

How could the match end so soon after it had just begun?

Chapter 79 You're on the list

Captain Karl's very first question seemed to already imply that Earl Orlando was the one who attacked Leah.

At this moment, Lia's breathing quickened.

Just as Lia was nervously wondering how to answer, the maid Anna spoke up.

"No, the young lady was too nervous to notice the other person's body shape or smell. If there was any obvious smell, the passersby should have been able to smell it too."

The maid Anna's words reassured Lia, and they were indeed true.

“Oh, really?” Captain Karl nodded.

He seemed to accept this explanation, but did not abandon his suspicions about Earl Orlando.

"Did either of you notice the other's voice? Do you think that voice sounds like Earl Orlando's?"

"It shouldn't be, the other party didn't say anything to me." This time, Lia answered Captain Karl's question properly.

That's true; he didn't say a word when Count Orlando attacked and tested him.

"Hmm, do you think the people who attacked you have any similarities to Earl Orlando? Like eye color or mannerisms?"

Captain Carl pressed for more information.

At this point, he had clearly identified Earl Orlando as the mastermind behind the attack on Leah.

This made Lia clench her little fists, while the maid Anna took over the role of mouth-sucking.

"Captain Karl, why do you keep dragging Earl Orlando into this? Earl Orlando is a magician, isn't he? Many people from the Royal Academy and I have seen him use holy magic."

"Besides, why would Earl Orlando attack our young lady?"

"Is it because Captain Karl and Earl Orlando don't get along? That can't be, right? Captain Karl, you're a knight of the Church."

The saying "a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger" perfectly describes the maid Anna.

Although she had just witnessed Elena and Prince Alvin being taken away by the church knights, Anna still maintained her fiery personality and questioned Captain Karl in front of her.

Captain Karl wasn't angry at being spoken to like that by a maid.

“Count Orlando is not a magician; his swordsmanship is equally superb.” Captain Karl’s expression was serious, not joking.

No matter how bad the Earl of Orlando's reputation was, or how frivolous he was in his daily life.

Since someone is willing to go against you, they are certainly not an incompetent fool.

To underestimate Count Orlando would be to belittle Karl himself—how could he possibly be an opponent of a fool?

“But even so, there’s no reason to doubt the Count, is there?” Lia mustered her courage and voiced her doubts.

"Because this isn't the first time Earl Orlando has done something like this."

Captain Karl gave his answer, looking at the somewhat surprised Leah and the maid Anna as he continued to explain.

"Before this, Earl Orlando had attacked other noble ladies who had never seen Earl Orlando in person before."

"After the attack, Earl Orlando would appear and comfort them, thus building a closer relationship."

“The Earl has used this clumsy method many times before. Miss Liya, you are the eighth victim to be treated this way.”

"So that's how it is," Lia and her maid Anna suddenly realized.

No wonder Earl Orlando told them not to be nervous; he had already prepared an escape route for himself, which is why he had previously said that it wouldn't matter even if his identity as the attacker was exposed.

Lia breathed a sigh of relief; Karl really wasn't deliberately targeting Earl Orlando.

“Then let’s go check out the alley, Miss Liya.” Captain Karl turned and walked towards the alley. Liya and her maid Anna followed without any worries.

Captain Karl didn't go very far this time; he stopped in the middle of the alley, near an area where the ground color was slightly unusual.

“Miss Lia, Miss Anna,” Captain Karl said, pointing to the marks. His voice was particularly clear in the quiet alley.

"I discovered these magical traces on the ground after you left that day."

"Although I don't know much about magic, my subordinates can use holy magic, and they helped me confirm that this is imprinting magic."

"So, I can ask Miss Lia, do you know who used the marking magic?"

This time, the maid Anna wanted to help Lia deny the issue.

But when Karl glanced at Anna, the church knight's sharp gaze silenced her before she could utter a word.

There's no doubt that Captain Carl is serious.

"It was me, it was me who used the imprinting magic," Lia answered softly.

Both the guiding god and the count urged her to tell the truth, and since Lia didn't want to claim that the count had done what she had done, she naturally admitted that she had done it herself.

Upon hearing Lia's answer, Captain Karl remained silent for a few seconds.

"Okay, thank you for your cooperation, Miss Liya."

Captain Carl turned to the side and gestured to Leah that she could leave the alley.

It's over? Lia was somewhat taken aback as she looked at Captain Karl, who had told her to leave.

She had just thought she was going to be arrested for using magic forbidden by the church, and suffer the same fate as Elena, but they let her go?

"Is...is it okay?"

"Yes, there are no other problems."

Karl nodded patiently, and the church knights beside him made way.

Lia was a little confused when she saw this, but she naturally did not want to stay here any longer. After bowing to Captain Karl, she and Anna turned and left.

After meeting up with Count Orlando, Leah and Anna boarded the Count's carriage.

"So? What did that person ask?" Earl Orlando asked with a light laugh, looking at Leah across from him, who looked relaxed.

"Captain Karl asked if the attackers were like you, and about the imprinting magic I used."

Lia carefully observed Earl Orlando's expression, afraid that she had done something wrong.

"And what was your answer?" Earl Orlando showed no surprise.

"Captain Karl seems to have known all along that you attacked me, and then said that you often use the same methods to approach other noble ladies."

Earl Orlando's smile was radiant, and Leah smiled along with him.

"Captain Karl also found traces of the imprinting magic and asked who used it. I admitted that I used it myself."

Lia was still somewhat uneasy, even though she had done everything according to the guidance of the god and the count.

"Hehehe, then it's alright." Count Orlando nodded with a smile as he saw this.

Huh? Why is that?

Lia was puzzled. She wanted to ask the God of Guidance, but hesitated and didn't.

If I actually asked, I'd definitely be called an idiot.

Chapter 80 The Bishop Has a Hard Time

In the imperial capital, where noble mansions abound, the church of the Goddess Church still stands out as a unique and conspicuous presence.

It was a complex of buildings constructed of white marble and stained glass, which appeared sacred and solemn in the afterglow of the setting sun, with the silhouettes of the spires pointing directly at the night sky where the stars were gradually lighting up.

Upon returning from his outing, Karl passed through the grand temple where ordinary believers prayed and arrived at a relatively secluded but heavily guarded courtyard.

This is the residence and office of Bishop Simon of the Royal Capital Diocese.

The courtyard is exquisitely designed, with a babbling fountain and precious flowers that bloom in vibrant colors even in early winter, while the air is filled with a faint, expensive fragrance.